“JC WHO?” might very well be the question the average Filipino voter will ask when told that JC de los Reyes will be one of the candidates for president during the 2010 national elections. The name will certainly ring no bell in the mind of most voters, and well it should not because prior to his announcement last Saturday Mr. John Carlos “JC” de los Reyes was just a city councilor in Olongapo, Pampanga.

JC is neither a practical joker nor a lunatic. A graduate of the Ateneo de Manila and of De La Salle – Zobel, he is a sober and successful businessman, a nephew of Senator Richard Gordon. By his own description a simple man with a moral duty, JC de los Reyes was nominated to run for the presidency by the Kapatiran Party which, judging from its past record, is hands-down and thumbs-up the most moral political party in the Philippines today.

Founded by Mr. Nandy Pacheco during the 2007 national and local elections, Kapatiran then fielded three senatorial candidates: Dr. Martin Bautista, Atty. Zosimo Paredes and Adrian Sison. All three were devout Roman Catholics, successful professionals and as far from the image of the legendary Don Quixote as black is from white. The Party was formed to be the model of what the ideal political party should be (with clean, law-abiding, moral party members, and with a clearly-defined set of party principles), organized to give the Filipino electorate an alternative choice to the traditional politicians that is our daily fare during elections.

In 2010, Kapatiran will attempt to field candidates in both national and local government positions, the better to make its advocacy more visible to the ordinary voter. It will not be lacking in challenges. Even in the local sphere, in the provinces, cities and municipalities, Kapatiran is relatively unknown.

Ninety-five percent of its candidates will probably be first-timers in politics as traditional politicians, the trapos, will never fit into the mold of principles that it has set for prospective members. But the political face that it will present will certainly be refreshing, candidates who can pass the test of morality, integrity and professionalism that ought to be the trademark of all politicians.

It is a testament to how far we still need to travel to reach political maturity that political parties like Kapatiran and candidates like JC de los Reyes appear like Don Quixotes jousting with the seemingly-impregnable windmill. On the other hand, change will come only if more and more people believe like JC, that the windmill is man-made and can be broken by men and women with the resolve to break it down.

From the bottom of Bottomline’s heart, kudos to KC de los Reyes and to the Kapatiran Party!